Items, such as vehicles, are typically manufactured or assembled by the use of a relatively large number and variety of components such as, for example, engines, wheels, wiring harnesses, sun roofs, and hoods. Oftentimes, an “assembly line” is used to manufacture such vehicles or other items. An assembly line is a well known arrangement whereby, for example, various components of a vehicle are operatively placed upon the body or frame of the vehicle at various stations or locations of the assembly line. In this manner, each station or location corresponds to a unique stage of the overall vehicle assembly process and requires the placement of a unique component or the performance of a certain function upon the partially formed vehicle. A single assembly line may be used to produce a wide variety of different models or types of vehicles in order to efficiently utilize the manufacturing machinery and personnel included within and/or cooperatively forming the assembly line.
While the traditional assembly line process does allow efficient use of resources, modem manufacturing has evolved to reveal substantial limitations in this process. For example, many models being built on the same line require a number of unique types of components. The number of different types of vehicles which may be running on a single line is typically proportional to the number of different types of components which must be used during the manufacturing process. As a result, a great variety of components must be coordinated for use on multiple types of vehicles (or products) for a single assembly line. Coordinating the assembly of this wide array of components has led to a substantial decrease in line efficiency.
Further, since vehicles (or other products) are manufactured at a relatively fast pace, the large number of components discussed above must be readily available to the assembly line personnel. Normally, component storage space existing along the assembly line is minimized. Hence, many of these components must be selectively “shuttled” into the assembly area on an “as needed” basis. Such shuttling of parts further enhances the need for coordination of part delivery and use. In particular, it is desirable to have specific components available and delivered to the proper location before these components are actually needed or utilized in order to allow for a continuous manufacturing process and to maximize the number of vehicles (or other products) which are produced.
Moreover, the assembly line process is further complicated by the fact that a build schedule for any one or more of the models may be changed or updated frequently. A “build schedule” identifies the order that different types of vehicles (or products) are to be manufactured by the assembly line and identifies the components which are to be used in each of those types. The build schedule is typically created before assembly process actually begins, thereby allowing a planned or scheduled “shuttle” of components in the assembly area to occur. Frequently, the “build schedule” must be dynamically altered or changed due to difficulties or occurrences, which arise after the build schedule has been created. For example, faulty components may have been identified which prevent a certain type of vehicle to from being built in accordance with the build schedule. Also, changes in types of components or in the delivery schedules of the components may require modification of a build schedule. Whenever the component transport schedule is not modified to reflect these “build schedule changes,” or is incorrectly modified, the assembly line process may be delayed causing substantial inefficiencies.
Accordingly, there is therefore a need for a new and improved method for manufacturing and/or assembling an item, such as a vehicle, which overcomes some or all of the previously delineated drawbacks of prior methods.